An Inventory of My Traits

Transcription

1 Module The Basics and Beyond: An Introduction to Heredity An Inventory of My Traits Abstract Students take an inventory of their own easilyobservable genetic traits. Working in small groups, they observe how their trait inventories differ from those of others. Students record their observations in a data table and make a bar graph to show the most and least common traits in the group. Logistics Time Required Class Time: 30 minutes Prep Time: 20 minutes to review activity and make copies of student pages Materials Copies of student pages Prior Knowledge Needed How to construct and read bar graphs Appropriate For: Ages: USA grades: 5-7 Learning Objectives Traits are observable characteristics that are passed down from parent to child. An individual will have many traits they share in common with others. An individual s overall combination of traits makes them unique. Some traits are more common in a population than others. Special Features You ll Find Inside Includes a fun optional activity in which students predict the number of traits it will take to distinguish a student volunteer from everyone else in the class. Includes a math extension in which students calculate the frequency of traits in their classroom, then compare their calculations with given frequencies for the general population University of Utah This activity was downloaded from:

2 Module The Basics and Beyond: An Introduction to Heredity Classroom Implementation Activity instructions: An Inventory of My Traits Begin by demonstrating one of the traits listed in An Inventory of My Traits: Survey (page S-1). Ask students who possess this trait to stand. Point out the relative numbers of students standing and sitting for the trait. Continue this process with 2-3 more traits. Quantities Per Student One copy of student pages S-1 to S-3 Explain that traits are observable characteristics we inherit from our parents. Some traits are common in a population (our class) while others are not. And, every person has a different overall combination of traits that makes them unique. Divide students into groups of four or more. Have each student in the group complete An Inventory of My Traits: Survey (page S-1) to determine their unique combination of the traits described. After students complete the survey, have them tally their group information on the data table (page S-2) and draw a bar graph (page S-3). Optional: You may collect the traits data from the whole class by creating a large wall chart (see example on the left). Have a representative from each group fill in their data. Once all the data has been collected, have the students make a bar graph from the class data or make one large graph together. Optional activity: Ask students to predict how many traits they would have to look at on the Survey in order to identify any given classmate as unique. Select a volunteer who would like to determine his or her uniqueness. Ask all students to stand. Have the volunteer call out one of their traits at a time, beginning with question 1 on the Survey and continuing in sequence. For each trait, direct all students who do not share that trait to sit down; students who share the trait remain standing. Once a student sits down, they do not get up again. Common Misconceptions Students may think that the more common traits are better, but this is not always the case. Sometimes traits simply show up more frequently in the human population. More advanced students may think that dominant traits are more common than recessive traits. However, frequency has very little to do with whether a trait is dominant or recessive. That is, a dominant trait is not necessarily more common and a recessive trait is not necessarily rare in a population University of Utah This activity was downloaded from: 1

3 Module The Basics and Beyond: An Introduction to Heredity An Inventory of My Traits Continue in this way until the volunteer is the only one standing. Count the number of traits it took to distinguish the volunteer from everyone else in the class. Compare this number with the students predictions. Repeat with several additional volunteers. Math extension: Have students practice converting fractions to decimals, then decimals into percentages by calculatig the frequency of the following traits in your classroom: tongue rolling, handedness and hand clasping. Students can then compare their calculated frequencies with those for the general population (provided in the table below). Example: # of students with the trait/# of students in the class x 100 = % 15 tongue rollers / 21 students in the class x 100 = 71% Trait Tongue rolling Handedness Hand clasping Standards Frequency in General Population* Can roll tongue 70% Cannot roll tongue 30% Right handed 93% Left handed 7% Left thumb on top 55% Right thumb on top 44% No preference 1% *Frequencies for traits are from Online Mendelian Inheritance In Man (see omim/). U.S. National Science Education Standards Grades 5-8: Content Standard C: Life Science - Reproduction and Heredity Every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits. Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation to another. The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits. AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy Grades 3-5: The Living Environment: Heredity - Some likenesses between children and parents, such as eye color in human beings, or fruit or flower color in plants, are inherited. Other likenesses, such as people s table manners or carpentry skills, are learned University of Utah This activity was downloaded from: 2

4 Module The Basics and Beyond: An Introduction to Heredity An Inventory of My Traits For offspring to resemble their parents, there must be a reliable way to transfer information from one generation to the next. Credits Activity created by: Molly Malone, Genetic Science Learning Center April Mitchell, Genetic Science Learning Center Louisa Stark, Genetic Science Learning Center Harmony Starr, Genetic Science Learning Center (illustrations) This activity was adapted from: Alike But Not The Same in Human Genetic Variation, NIH Curriculum Supplement Series (1999). Available at Funding Original funcing: A Howard Hughes Medical Institute Precollege Science Education Initiative for Biomedical Research Institutions Award (Grant ). Additional Resources Visit the Teach.Genetics website to get more great resources like these! Funding for significant revisions: Grant U33MC00157 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Genetic Services Branch. Partners in the Consumer Genetics Education Network (CGEN) include HRSA, March of Dimes, Dominican Women s Development Center, Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Genetic Science Learning Center at University of Utah, Utah Department of Health and the National Human Genome Center at Howard University. To learn about our permissions policy, visit University of Utah This activity was downloaded from: 3

5 Adapted from Alike But Not The Same in Human Genetic Variation, NIH Curriculum Supplement Series An Inventory of My Traits - Survey What combination of these traits do you have? Complete the survey to find out. 1. I have detached earlobes Yes No 2. I can roll my tongue Yes No 3. I have dimples Yes No 4. I am right-handed Yes No 5. I have freckles Yes No 6. I have naturally curly hair Yes No 7. I have a cleft chin Yes No 8. I have allergies Yes No 9. I cross my left thumb over my Yes No right when I clasp my hands together 10. I can see the colors red and green Yes No ( I am not color blind) 11. The hairline on my forehead is Yes No straight. 12. I am a: Male Female 2006 University of Utah This activity was downloaded from: S-1

6 Adapted from Alike But Not The Same in Human Genetic Variation, NIH Curriculum Supplement Series An Inventory of My Traits - Data Table How many people in your group have each trait? Fill in the data table below by counting the number of people who marked yes and the number of people who marked no for each trait. Detached earlobes Tongue rolling Dimples Right-handed Freckles Naturally curly hair Cleft chin Allergies Cross left thumb over right See the colors red and green Have a straight hairline TRAIT YES NO 2006 University of Utah This activity was downloaded from: S-2

7 2006 University of Utah This activity was downloaded from: S-3 Traits 0 1 # of students Make a bar graph showing how many people in your group answered yes for each trait. Be sure to label each trait under the bar you draw for it. An Inventory of My Traits - Graph

Web Quest Abstract Students explore the Using Family History to Improve Your Health module on the Genetic Science Learning Center website to complete a web quest. Learning Objectives Chronic diseases such

TEACHING ADULTS TO MAKE SENSE OF NUMBER TO SOLVE PROBLEMS USING THE LEARNING PROGRESSIONS Mā te mōhio ka ora: mā te ora ka mōhio Through learning there is life: through life there is learning! The Tertiary

TA2, 2nd Edition, January 2002 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GUIDE A publication of the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities Helping Students Develop Their IEPs N IC H CY This guide

Perfect For RTI Getting the Most out of STAR Math Using data to inform instruction and intervention The Accelerated products design, STAR Math, STAR Reading, STAR Early Literacy, Accelerated Math, Accelerated

A Closer Look at the Five Essential Components of Effective Reading Instruction: A Review of Scientifically Based Reading Research for Teachers 2004 1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486

How Do You Know It? How Can You Show It? Penny Reed Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative Gayl Bowser Oregon Technology Access Program Jane Korsten Responsive Centers for Psychology and Learning Wisconsin

Lesson Description This lesson brings awareness to the students about what factors are important when choosing a career path. Students will explore the relationship between the salary of different occupations

Work sample portfolio summary WORK SAMPLE PORTFOLIO Annotated work sample portfolios are provided to support implementation of the Foundation Year 10 Australian Curriculum. Each portfolio is an example

The Manual for Parents and Students About Special Education Services in Texas 2012 Revised and Updated September 2011 A JOINT PROJECT OF www.thearcoftexas.org www.disabilityrightstx.org Table of Contents

NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know & Do N A T I O N A L C E N T E R O N EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES In collaboration with: Council of Chief State School Offi cers (CCSSO) National

Evaluating Your Community-Based Program Part II Putting Your Evaluation Plan to Work A publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics A Cooperative Agreement Program of the Federal Maternal and Child

Climate Surveys: Useful Tools to Help Colleges and Universities in Their Efforts to Reduce and Prevent Sexual Assault Why are we releasing information about climate surveys? Sexual assault is a significant

NCARB BY THE NUMBERS June 2012 NCARB by the Numbers 2012 By the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

Energize Our Families Parent Program A Leader s Guide The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Health Information Center is a service of the NHLBI of the National Institutes of Health. The

I Have the Results of My Genetic Genealogy Test, Now What? Version 2.1 1 I Have the Results of My Genetic Genealogy Test, Now What? Chapter 1: What Is (And Isn t) Genetic Genealogy? Chapter 2: How Do I

Out of This World Classroom Activity The Classroom Activity introduces students to the context of a performance task, so they are not disadvantaged in demonstrating the skills the task intends to assess.